To celebrate World Tourism Day, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has released its 2018 report on international tourism trends.
This year’s World Tourism Day theme is ‘Tourism and Digital Transformation’, highlighting how technological advancements can encourage innovation and sustainable, responsible growth strategies.
The report highlights the positive benefits of tourism, such as cultural preservation, environmental protection, economic growth and development.
Numbers wise, the results are largely positive for the industry, with 2017 experiencing the highest growth in arrivals since 2010, up 7 per cent to 1.32 billion, with a 5 per cent increase in total spend at $1.34 trillion.
The city of love has still got it, with France the most-visited country totalling 86.9 million international tourists, closely followed by Spain’s 81.8 million and the US with 75.9.
But in terms of spending, despite a 3.9 per cent decline in visitors, stoking fears of a ‘Trump Slump’, the US saw a spending increase of 1.9 per cent at $210.7 billion, which is higher than both France and Spain combined.
Locally, Asia and the Pacific shared a 6 per cent growth in arrivals, accounting for 24 per cent of market share and 29 per cent of global spend. South-East Asia recorded the highest growth in the region, with an additional 9 million visitors in 2017, fuelled by robust demand from North-east Asian source markets.
Australia and New Zealand recorded a solid growth of 6 per cent in both arrivals and spend, mostly coming from North-East Asian markets, the US and the UK.
Check out the full report here.
